Hardik Pandya’s last Instagram post shows him standing in front of the camera for a promo shoot, and the caption reads something like this — “Lights. Camera. And the action starts tomorrow.” The all-rounder had posted it on the social media on the eve of his team’s opening tie against Australia. Perhaps, he himself had no clue that the caption would actually come true!
At the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, which cheered out loud for its ‘Super King’ and ‘ thala’ , Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Pandya stole the show, with a classy knock of 83 off just 66 deliveries. The innings not only brought him under the sun, on a rather gloomy and cloudy Sunday afternoon, but also helped India reach a competitive total of 281-7.
Coming lower down the order, Pandya anchored the Indian ship — which was wrecked by a certain Nathan Coulter-Nile — along with Dhoni to add a 118-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Quite surprisingly, he took the front seat — going tongs over Adam Zampa, picking up 24 runs in the 36th over — pushing Dhoni to go on the defensive. That the erstwhile India skipper played in his unusual mode is evident by the fact that his first boundary came of the 67th ball of his innings.
But then, he kept his cool and calm to pick up 79 runs off 88 balls, and guide the team to a fighting total. Pandya, on the other hand, reigned supreme, picking up his third ODI half-century.
Even after Pandya’s exit off Zampa, Dhoni paired up with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (unbeaten 32) to stitch a 72-run partnership in the later-half of the innings.
All this however, was the result of a disastrous beginning by the Indian top-order. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, India found itself in deep trouble as it lost three wickets for just 11 runs in only the sixth over, courtesy a fiery spell from Coulter-Nile.
OPTA FACTS
While Ajinkya Rahane, who was promoted at top of the order in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence, fell meekly for five, other top-order batters — captain Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey — failed to open their accounts, and departed in quick succession — thus adding the pressure on the team. Though Rohit Sharma (28) and Kedar Jadhav (40) tried their bit to steady the ship, their efforts were just not enough.
Struggling at 87-5 after 21.3 overs, it looked, India would find it impossible to reach a competitive total. But then, with Dhoni pairing up with the fiery young gun, things eased out.
At home in Chennai, there’s no stopping a Super King!
Comments
SHARE